Sad times, ive just waved goodbye to the best car ive ever had. However needs have changed and i no longer could justify the 'Big D', im moving on to a bigger (litterally ) and i think more appropriate vehicle for a old git thats nearly 30 . I will miss the power, i will miss the shear pressence it has on the road, i will miss the attention the car used to get, i will miss many things However i wont miss the frequency and cost of its tyre habit, the fact i am stuck in my house when it snows, or the way it rattles my brain appart on bumpy roads Ive met some genuinely nice people on this forum, albeit that i havent been on in ages, thanks people for all the advice.

36 and gone from E91 335D to E70 X40d so i'm guessing a similar move if bigger and being able to get out in the snow is important

If you bought your X5 for snow use you may be disappointed !!! The 20" wheels are rubbish in slippy conditions, you will need some kind of a winter setup. I couldn't believe how poor my X5 was last winter, my E92 was generally better!

If you bought your X5 for snow use you may be disappointed !!! The 20" wheels are rubbish in slippy conditions, you will need some kind of a winter setup. I couldn't believe how poor my X5 was last winter, my E92 was generally better!

Not really for snow use but getting out of my drive which is about 1:200 slope would be a start. The E91 335D was useless. Plus it was about to turn 3 years old when i sold it. Time to change and i didn't fancy another as the boot was too narrow for golf clubs! So the next best thing for me was the X5. As it had the same engine (similar) and would be near as the same but bigger. Will see how it goes. Might start taking a leaf out Helen and Steve's book and switch it out for something else early next year if i don't get on with it. But i loved my 335D so i can't see why i wouldn't love the X5.

I am sure you will love your X5 especially with the 40d engine. They do feel massive the first time you drive them in traffic but that feeling soon goes to leave you feeling its simply a great vehicle.

After a lot of research and testdrives, it was with regret i decided to leave the BMW brotherhood. Ive gone for a Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE. Ive been used to the 335D in 'poverty' spec, now ive gone the opposite with the disco, its specced to the roof (360 cameras, freeview, DAB, heated steering wheel, rear tv screens, from home remote start ... and pretty much everything else )

I tested the Range Rover Sport, BMW X5, Toyota Landcruiser, and the Lexus 4x4. The disco came on top for me, even though i went about it a bit biased towards the X5.